Uncommon Birds in Minnesota
Our list for Minnesota has 86 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 33 summer visitors, 23 winter visitors, 26 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Minnesota in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 86, most common first
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiPassage migrantUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaPassage migrantUncommon27–30 cmRegularly May–Nov
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusSummer visitorUncommon18–19 cmRegularly May–Sep
Virginia RailRallus limicolaSummer visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusSummer visitorUncommon58–85 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusPassage migrantUncommon23–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusPassage migrantUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusWinter visitorUncommon20–26 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
King EiderSomateria spectabilisPassage migrantUncommon46–64 cmRegularly Jan
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaSummer visitorUncommon43–51 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorSummer visitorUncommon140–160 cmRegularly Feb–Dec
Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoidesScarceUncommon15–18 cm
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Oct
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made